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NC-v4 MRc5:Construction and demolition waste management

Volume Measurement

Hi Michelle,

I thought I'd better post this under NC also. I've never used volume for any waste diversion calcs before, but my urban CI project is struggling to figure out how to comply with the new source separation requirements with no room on site for extra bins and no commingled facilities that will provide project specific diversion. If waste streams need to be 5% of the total waste to actually constitute a waste stream, how do you figure out if they will be? What do you do if at the end of the day they're not? Will the USGBC actually not consider wood or cardboard a waste stream, even with an on-site source separation strategy, if it doesn't equal 5% of the total waste diverted?

It seems to me that using volume measurement would broaden the potential waste streams. Materials that are lighter like cardboard may not constitute 5% by weight but might by volume. Since the reporting and receiving facility receipts are generally tonnage oriented, how do we substantiate volume? Am I correct in assuming that one would simply say a 2cuyd container was hauled to the facility so the volume is 2 cuyds? What if the container is not full? Could one divide a larger container into smaller spaces inside for separate waste streams and then claim the volume of that smaller space for each stream when the larger container is hauled away? It doesn't seem as if volume metrics would be as precise and easily verified as weight metrics, so do I have the right sense of how the documentation would work? I'm concerned that this doesn't seem much different than eyeball audits

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Mon, 03/26/2018 - 19:08

Michelle - Unfortunately I haven't taken a v4 project far enough to answer your questions about not hitting the 5%. However, I would note that USGBC is saying in the Reference Guide that the 5% by weight or volume for a material stream is a best practice, which means to me that it is a guideline - not a requirement. Your questions are numerous regarding measuring volume. Here's how I'd like to address those - by sharing my experience working with a construction recycling firm that uses commingled materials and volume. They would save a number of containers from a specific LEED job. Then they would dump those containers from a specific LEED job onto the processing floor. They would measure volume of materials by filling various containers of known sizes with separate materials. They would record these measured volumes into a spreadsheet and then convert them to weight. I provided that spreadsheet to USGBC. I was never asked for additional information. FYI: In my experience, I've found that tracking by weight is more advantageous than by volume. I agree that volume doesn't seem as precise as weight but you cannot do a visual inspection. I'm really hoping USGBC will address some of the concerns with this credit when it releases v4.1.  

Mon, 03/26/2018 - 20:50

Hi Michelle, Thanks for the response though I have to admit I'm still confused. So I'm going to consider the 5% to basically be ignorable. It doesn't seem worthwhile to tailor a whole strategy around a metric that isn't actually a requirement. If we did all the right things in terms of tracking and measuring throughout the project and still fell short, it doesn't sound like reviewers would have a firm rationale to reject the outcome. On the volume itself, it sounds like your receiver took a project specific approach (which will not be possible here) and then after filling containers for volume measurement, converted the volume into weight. I don't understand the point of the conversion. Couldn't they have just weighed it all in the first place? Are you saying that you got a significantly different outcome by virtue of doing the conversion? Your documentation was still ultimately filled out as tonnage then? I infer that the key is still the size of the container and that maybe filling various containers of known sizes has to do with making sure they are full. Couldn't you have just reported in cuyds based on the size of the container? This is the crux of the question because all this measuring would need to be managed onsite as waste streams are happening, not stored somewhere and tried out in various sized containers. And yep, I'd really prefer to just use weight as we always have. But we won't be able to leave 3pts with the RP on the table and achieve our certification goal in v4. Not to mention the discomfort of trying to explain to the GC why the commingled diversion that has always been effective before is now seen by LEED reviewers as no better than taking everything to the landfill. I hope so too, thanks.
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Thu, 03/29/2018 - 19:14

Michelle  - The answers to your questions in the third paragraph above are: 1) They don't have a scale to weigh it. 2) Yes - when there is brick, block, and concrete waste, I get higher percentages with weight than volume. 3) Yes - tonnage. In the fourth paragraph: If you get a single material (material stream) hauled in single container, yes you could report based on the size of the container. And per your e-mail: "If this credit is now entirely about on-site practice, then we kind of need to have ways to handle it reasonably on-site, particularly tight urban sites." I don't believe that this credit is solely about on-site practices. Maybe you could consider Option 2 (Reduction of Total Waste) based solely on on-site practices. Projects will still use MRFs and sorting facilities to sort and recycle materials - whether they are collected as commingled or not. I hope this helps somewhat. And I hope USGBC is monitoring forums like this to see that teams are taxed by impractical LEED v4 requirements as out outline in your last paragraph.    
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Mon, 04/02/2018 - 16:23

Michelle - USGBC has launched a LEED v4.1 page and is requesting input from users on actual edits to the existing LEED language. I encourage you and all LEEDusers to submit proposals on LEED v4 issues that need to be changed! Visit https://new.usgbc.org/leed-v41 and click Submit your proposal under the heading of Be part of LEED v4.1's development.

Mon, 04/02/2018 - 16:45

Hi Michelle, Thanks for the headsup. I would have missed this sandwiched between the v4.1 O&M information. Interesting approach given all that has gone before.

Tue, 07/27/2021 - 18:49

Hi Michelle - Were you ever able to solve the 5% mystery? Is it just guidance or truly a requirement? I have a project doing all the right things but will only have the site area to track separate waste streams during demo, not construction so I'm concerned that the demo streams won't hit the 5% mark.
 

Wed, 07/28/2021 - 16:37

Hi Michelle, Yes, I asked about it. It's just guidance. They said they would not reject a waste stream for failing to hit that mark. And since then I've had a few that didn't.
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Nicole Keeler
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Clear Green Consulting LLC
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Thu, 02/23/2023 - 18:03

Hello Michelle, your expertise in these threads is invaluable, thank you! I do have a clarification request I am hoping you can address. I’ve continued digging in LEED User and elsewhere but haven’t found a crystal-clear clarification. During demo we used individual haulers for the site streams, ie concrete, asphalt. During construction, the hauling company now servicing the project is one which takes a comingled container and uses visual inspection for determining stream percentages of these comingled hauls. My question is regarding onsite sorted waste with with the same hauler.
  1. Can you confirm if we sort on site, but the waste is still taken to the hauler's site where they will then report the sorted waste stream at 100%, would this be an allowable stream? I’m clear on the comingled being counted as one stream no matter the precents. 
  2. My question is stemming from the visual inspection factor, if it is not weighed at this hauler's site, will it qualify as a single stream? If not, what if we weigh it onsite, before this company hauls it? Is that allowable?
  3. Understanding they remove the container when it is full, using metals as an example, those metals may vary in weight, aluminum, steel etc. – I’m speculating the visual inspection, even when site sorted, will not qualify. Concur?
Thank you again!

Thu, 02/23/2023 - 19:08

Hi Nicole, Here's my best shot.  If you sort on-site and the hauler reports it as 100%, then yes it's a waste stream that you can claim. However, you are right eyeball audits will never work. So yes it does need to be weighed. My assumption with a 100% load reflected on their reporting is that it was hauled off that way and weighed that way. If not, then yes you could weigh it yourself on-site. GBCI does not require any backup for source separated loads. You will just be entering tonnage into the calculator. Metal is metal for LEED purposes so you don't have to be worried about varied metals in the bin. But yes you do need an actual weight. Hope this helps.

Wed, 10/22/2025 - 18:53

Hi Michelle, I am also struggling with understanding this credit in LEED V4. I have concrete and asphalt that were hauled off to two separate facilities. For the concrete I received a document stating the following: "This letter is to certify that 21 semi loads (approximately 420 tons) of clean broken concrete were dumped at our facility"Is this sufficient for indicating the tonnage?

Wed, 10/22/2025 - 19:06

Hi Magdalena,Yes, I would consider that sufficient. For a source separated issue, no backup is actually required. You fill out the calculator for those items and use your reporting to derive the tonnage, but only commingled needs to provide backup documentation verifying the diversion rate.  Source separated material is automatically 100%.

Fri, 10/24/2025 - 16:36

Hi Michelle, thank you for your respond, I appreciate your help on this.Ok, so when it is source separated it already counts as 100% and letter like this is sufficient for documentation, however, is that still good for the calculations, from what I understand I need weight of all the materials. Would I use 420 pounds?I also have asphalt, which was source separated but the only thing I have are tickets from the hauler that the asphalt was hauled to this asphalt facility.  Would this be also sufficient for documentation.  They don't state the wight. Should I convert the volume into weight for my calculations?Now, when it comes to the comingled, can I say in my waste management plan this: (Name of the facility) will provide per project recycled material statements for construction and demolition (C&D) waste.What this documentation should look like, should it be tickets from the facility, or should it be a spreadsheet? So far my hauler is providing me with spreadsheet, I think he is inputting data from the facility, see below.If the facility can provide documentations, will each material in this comingled container now count as separate material source?Additionally if for example I have two dumpsters one is commingled and the other is only for one material such as cardboard, but they go to the same facility, can I count them as two separate material sources. How do I document this?Lastly how can I strategize this in the waste management plan? How can i describe this in there. I've been using charts, but I don't know if something is comingled if it can count as a separate material in the end. Please advise. 

Fri, 10/24/2025 - 17:06

Hi Magdalena,That's a lot of questions. I assume you have read the reference guide materials, seen the online form and the calculator. If you are using weight, which would be in tons, then yes you need weight for everything you enter and you would convert the 420lbs to tons. You can convert a volume measurement on the asphalt to tons. You do need to identify your receiving facility, but as this thread has discussed, the backup you need is their monthly diversion rate from the facility. The hauler reporting gives you total tons for commingled and that's all. You cannot use their percentages unless they literally dumped your truckload of waste then and there in the yard, separated everything and weighed it for your load individually. They are not doing that. So you enter the tons you get from the hauler reporting and then you obtain from the monthly diversion rate for that facility every month so you can get the percentage you need to use for commingled. That monthly diversion rate document is your backup each month. You can also use the online information from RCI if the facility is certified through them rather than having to request it through the hauler and GC every time. And no each material that the facility is showing that they separated each month is not a separate stream for you. Commingled is one waste stream period. Since you have concrete and asphalt separately, you now have three waste streams. If you have a separate bin on site for cardboard (or for metal or gyp or wood, etc.), those bins are source separating the materials. When those bins are hauled the receiver, whoever it is. You get 100% for those separated bins. You do need the weight information on it. It should be on the hauler's report. You document source separated by plugging the weight into the calculator. No backup needed. For your plan, the easiest thing to do is make a table which mostly would come from the hauler identifying each material that you plan to address - asphalt, concrete, cardboard, commingled, etc. and declare who that material is going to be received by. It can be the same facility who receives the commingled. The plan is more about how you are handling things on your jobsite with respect to different waste streams and your estimate of how much of each of those streams will comprise the total C&D. Just estimate and make sure it's more than 5%.

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